81 Answers

Gradually in the schoolyard I would say. I don’t ever remember any moment when it hit me hard. I was a lot older than 3 though. I think these days kids find out a lot quicker as there is far greater access to information.

I found out when I woke up on Christmas Eve and “wanted some water”. I walked in the living room while they were putting the presents under the tree. I was probably about 5 or 6 at the time, but I can’t really recall.

No, but seriously. I pretty much figured it out from the same way you did @rangerr and by logically thinking: “How could Santa deliver presents to billions of children around the world in one night?” I mean, come on!

During gym class in the fourth grade, we had a substitute teacher on the last day before winter break. As huddled around him at the end of class doing our cool down exercises, he told us to have a good Christmas and to remember to leave cookies out for Santa. Then, he said with a chuckle, “Oh, shucks, you guys have probably already figured out that Santa isn’t real by now, you’re almost fifth graders – probably put two and two together when you recognized your parent’s handwriting, huh?”

We suspected it quite a bit from an early age but chose to continue believing. We heard adults slip up. Presents would come before Christmas and we’d ask why Santa brought them so early, those type of things.

But it wasn’t till I was quite old when I saw a present before it was wrapped and then later it came from Santa that I was fully aware that even if I chose to believe in him, he wasn’t real. By that time I was old enough to accept it. Me and my sister had a good laugh and vent about it (as we discovered together).

of course i maintain that it isn’t ‘lying’ but rather perpetuating make believe which i believe is healthy for childhood growth based on my understanding of child development but we’ve already had that discussion on fluther, lol

I don’t recall the details, I just know that my older brothers ruined it for me.

My son was 6, and some of his classmates had stopped believing… so we were at the mall doing some shopping and at the checkout counter was a cool yo-yo he admired. With a little distraction, I purchased it without him knowing. That evening at our neighborhood Christmas party, Santa brought it to him! He was amazed!!

So our family tradition is to exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, and then Santa came and brought presents for the kids while they slept. That year, Santa brought an awesome skateboard! Unfortunately, one of the chucks was defective, so a couple says later when he told me about it, I said I’d get the receipt… and he said, “If Santa brought me the skateboard, why do you have a receipt?” I blew it. :-(

I suspected it myself. I don’t know what or who planted the seed of doubt, but it was planted early. My parents continued to sign the presents “From: Santa” long after I’d accepted that he wasn’t real, so they definitely weren’t to blame. I just can’t remember a time not being skeptical about his existence. But I felt so much better when I learned he was supposed to be based on a real person.

Some brat on the bus told me that the Easter bunny wasn’t real. I didn’t say anything at home, but I asked my grandma the next time I was at her house. She called Mom and gave me the phone. I made sure to ask about Santa and the tooth fairy while I was at it.

What YOU don’t know there missy is that your mother is a SSO. That’s right, a Special Santa Operative. He admires her gift wrapping skills soooo much that he sends her your gifts early and a lot of others besides when the elves get backed up like when the Tickle Me Elmos weren’t just given two test tickles… That kind of thing.. When you’re sleeping, she’s up all night wrapping for Santa. She puts alllllll those gifts in a little magical bag that they all fit in shortly before daylight and the elves swoop by and pick it up and leave her another, some more supplies and a biiigggg pot of coffee so she can make it through the day. What YOU don’t know is that your gifts are wrapped in OFFICIAL NORTH POLE CERTIFIED WRAPPING PAPER. Which is why Santa gifts are in the same paper.

@rangerr That’s how I found out, too! My parents are divorced, but santa brought me presents at both houses. And both my mom and my dad had the same wrapping paper as Santa, but different wrapping paper from each other. Even a three-year-old can do that detective work.

I was seven or eight when I figured it out. I already had my suspicions, but I wasn’t ready to admit them.

My parents put the presents out too early in the night. They must have thought I was sleeping, but I wasn’t.

The next morning was pretty lame. It’s one thing to find out at some other time of the year, but to discover for yourself on Christmas Eve, after leaving milk and cookies out for Santa (and a carrot for Rudolph and a candy cane for Santa to bring home to Mrs. Claus,) who you really believe is on his way, flying through the sky in his sleigh, and then to wake up on Christmas morning knowing that those stale half-eaten cookies were eaten by your own father, who exclaims now with false enthusiasm how Santa must have been in such a rush that he didn’t have time to finish eating them, is really dispiriting. A once magical, sparkling experience had, in the course of a night, gone completely flat. Not a good way to find out.

my grandpa used to play Santa at a small fairy tale park in the forest that we had in our town.. Christmas was huge for this place.. and ever since I could remember, I always said, “Santa looks like grandpa. And he sounds like grandpa. And he SMELLS like grandpa.” But my family always told me it wasn’t. Then one time I was in the back seat of the car with my grandmother and my father and she said to him, “I have to hurry up and get home so I can get Ted to Fairy Tale Forest to do Santa”

When I attacked that fat guy in the red suit for not bringing me what i wanted.. people kept screaming “HES NOT THE REAL SANTA” “SANTA’S NOT REAL!!” it took a little while to hear them over his screams

I was about 7 years old, and shortly before Christmas found a big box of toys in the spare bedroom closet. When my brother and I later received those same toys from Santa, I knew for sure. I’d been suspicious for a while. I don’t remember being upset by it or anything, and the way my mom explained it to me when I asked was kind of cool. She said, “Santa Claus is the good feeling you get when you give someone a gift without expecting anything in return.” She did have her good moments!

My daughter lasted a bit longer. She was almost 9, and seemed very suspicious of Santa. I got the impression that she was pretty sure Santa wasn’t real, but didn’t want to say anything and lose out on the fun. After Christmas, when all of her gifts were safely stowed away, she outright asked me and I told her the same thing my mom had told me. I was worried she might get upset, but instead she got this huge grin and said, “So all those awesome presents I thought were from Santa, were from you and Daddy?” It was the best response I could imagine. It didn’t hurt that “Santa” had given her a pet rabbit that year. Now she feels cool because she gets to help keep the fun alive for her little brothers. :)

The Santas in malls are just ‘Santa’s helpers’.
Presents arrive early because mom asked Santa to and he likes us so much he agreed.
Santa asked you to write the note (why? who knows maybe he is a bad speller for example..)
My family had an explanation for every slip up.

Even walking in on my mom putting the presents under the tree didn’t make me suspect for a second.

I thought I heard Santa so I snuck down to see him, but it was just my mom. I asked, “Mom are you trying to see Santa too?” and she said, “Um…no. Go back to bed.” So I said “Okay!” and went back upstairs.

I’m not sure how I eventually found out (didn’t give up on the idea completely til like junior high) but I blame my older brother..

My mother got me to dress up as an elf one year and come up to her primary school to hand out candy canes with a Santa. So we did it and kids were asking me why my ears weren’t pointy. I told them I had my ear disguises on so that I could go around town spying for Santa. A few days later there was a kid who was being bad in a store in town… after he got a good look at me and I gave him a look, he straightened his little butt up! I thought he looked like a primary school kid, but I knew for sure then! :D I’m not sure that’s the only one this worked on, I think that there was something going on in the grocery store one day that I wasn’t paying as much attention to as I was marking things off on my grocery list but… :D

Guys? The wrapping paper’s the same because Santa brings the presents unwrapped! Once he’s there he sets up your card table and uses the wrapping paper that’s lying around your house.Come on, parents, there’s an easy explanation.

@grumpyfish Don’t worry Santa is Real. It’s just that adults who quit believing never see him. They lose their magic and muck things up for everyone else. So to them he isn’t real but to those who truly believe and to innocent children he is still very real. ;)

Kindergarten.Every year near Christmas Eve my class made some kind of A Christmas show and of course every time Santa was coming to us to give us presents.And I noticed something strange:every time my teacher and Santa Claus were leaving together.In my last year of kindergarten I followed them and I saw “Santa Claus” taking of his suite.And this is how I find That Santa Claus doesn’t exist but I wasn’t to affected.

My parents really had me sold on on the idea of Santal..until one year on Christmas day I went down to look for my presents and they weren’t there. So I asked my mom “where’s my gifts from Santa?” She just laughed and told me Santa wasn’t real. What a nice way to break the news of Santa not being real to your child.

I bluffed when I was ten. On christmas day I said thanks to my parents to test them…and they were like…what? you don’t believe in Santa anymore? I said no (I really did at that point) and they were like…awh ok well I guess your growing up then. That night was cold…and lonely

I had always been told by my friends and other kids that Santa was not real, but I always refused to believed them. It wasn’t until I was about 10 or 11 that I gave up believing that he may be real. :/ My parents claim they believe in him, which is kinda hard to believe; they’re always like, ’‘if you don’t believe in Santa and the Christmas spirit, you won’t get any presents from him!’’. I mean, all these parents around the world are beginning to tell their children that Santa isn’t real, so why in my parents’ case would he?! They’re terrible liars!